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Rose School of Karate |
Each year, my direct disciples from all across the country gather together for 3 days with me. It is a time of reflection and grounding. A time to come together and discuss progress on assignments from the last year. A time to exchange ideas and techniques with each other so that we can all grow.It is my great honor to announce the promotion of several of my direct students at my October 14, 2005 Disciple Retreat in the beautiful White Mountains of New Hampshire:
- Mr. Russ Jones of the Sachem School of Self Defense, Laconia, NH to the rank of 4th Degree Yondan Black Belt
- Mr. Scott Williams of the Red Leaf Karate Club, North Berwick, ME to the Disciple rank of 2nd Degree Nidan Black Belt
- Mr. Rick Downs from the Rose School of Karate, Portsmouth, NH to the Disciple rank of 2nd Degree Nidan Black Belt
Yondan Jones has trained with me since 1985 and has recently participated with other senior black belts and Masters of C&S Self Defense Association in traveling to Boulder, CO to finalize the first formal draft of the Kyu curriculum for the Association. Yondan drove almost 3 hours up from Laconia, NH through one of the horrible rain storms that we have been having recently so that he could attend our Friday night dinner at the beautiful 1785 Inn in North Conway, NH. He was out the door at 6:30am then Saturday morning after running through Sanchin with Sandan Carl Parker of Spokane, WA so that he could make his teaching obligation back in Laconia later that morning. He was then going to isolate himself at home studying for his final Shiatsu licensing examinations in Boston, MA Sunday.
Both Nidans Williams and Downs trained with me back in the mid 1980's for 2 years and then returned to their training with me 8 years ago and have been going strong ever since.
After receiving his promotion to 1st Degree Shodan Black Belt, Nidan Williams demonstrated his dedication to his art by opening the Red Leaf Karate Club in North Berwick, ME. He did this despite enormous work responsibility that includes numerous business trips to Washington, DC to confer with high military personnel as well as travel to various other nuclear submarine bases across the country.
Nidan Downs has continuted to offer private instruction through the Rose School Early Birds organization which he has headed for the last 7 years as well as taking on the responsibility of creating and running class at the Rose School on Monday nights. In addition to this, he continues to train at home almost every day in his home club and has an almost perfect attendance record at the Rose School Crazy Thursday class.
My congratulations and deepest respect to these fine martial artists for their hard work and dedication to our Art. I look forward to many many years of exciting interaction with all of them and particularly welcome Nidan Williams and Nidan Downs as my Disciples in the White Cobra.
I have been coming to the Whitney's Inn in Jackson, NH since around 1990. Located up on the top of Black Mountain, it offers all the features needed for either a quiet weekend getaway or one of my yearly disciple retreats. As you can see, they decorate to the max and the feeling is one of comfort and welcome. My thanks to current owner Richard for making our visits over the last several years that he has owned the inn so relaxing and enjoyable.
As you can see, the Fall leaves were just about peak - even through the rain and mist. The inn is on the left and just a little further up the road is the Black Mountain Ski Area.
This is the road side view of the inn.
Cottage 2 where Sandan Carl Parker and I stayed.
Another shot of Cottage 2.
Though it rained fairly heavily all weekend, it didn't dampen our spirits to get out and experience Nature's New England Fall beauty. A shot of part of the group at the Wildcat Ski Area. It was a little too wet to really hike around, but we did hang out around the outside until the rain drove us in. If it wouldn't have been so foggy, we might have enve taken a gondola ride to the top of the mountain. But at $10 to stare into the fog, we decided to save our money and buy wine at dinner!
Sandan Carl Parker of Spokane, WA of the Mountain View Academy of Self Defense with me some 27 years, Nidan Scott Williams of North Berwick, ME of the Red Leaf Karate Club with me about 10 years, Nidan Rick Downs of Eliot, ME with the Rose School of Karate with me about 10 years, and Sandan James Nancarrow of Northwood, NH and the Northwood School of Self Defense with me about 25 years.
The lounge at Whitney's Inn had this marvelous plaque over the fireplace. We all decided we just had to have our picture taken next to it after a long day of discussions Friday.
Sandan Carl Parker.
Sandan James Nancarrow.
Nidan Scott Williams.
Nidan Rick Downs.
Yondan Russ Jones of Laconia, NH of the Sachem School of Self Defense with me about 23 years next to Sandan James Nancarrow. Yondan Jones joined us late Friday afternoon as soon as he could get out of work. It was a long 2 hour dive for him, but once there was eager to share his studies and efforts over the past year in preparing for his final exams for his Shiatsu license which he would have to drive to Boston for on Sunday. He was only able to join us for dinner and Friday night's late night discussions and seminars. He was up at the crack of dawn on Saturday morning to head home as he had a late morning class in Laconia to teach. On the way out at about 6:30am, he bumped into Sandan Carl Parker who was heading across the road to do Sanchin by the roaring stream and joined him for that.
A visit to the White Mountains of New Hampshire would just not be complete without having dinner at the 1785 Inn in North Conway. I've been going there since the late 1970's and have gotten to know the owner Charles Mallor well. It's always good to see him work his magic with the decor and top notch staff to make our evening a true event. Though I have held retreats at other locations, I don't think we have missed dinner at the 1785 once if we were in North Conway.
I requested our waiter for the night to be Alan. Alan has always taken great care of us, and as you can see has almost as much fun doing it as we are having him! Thanks, Alan!
It was a cold, rainy, and raw night and so we pressed Sandan James Nancarrow into service to get a fire going. It wasn't much of an effort as they had just converted the real fireplace over to gas fired. But it looks like he worked hard! It was so cozy to have a fire going as the six of us sat around in the small living room of the cottage talking and sharing our art well into the night; actually into the next day!
Everyone was up and out the door early Saturday morning for Sanchin and forms practice before breakfast. It's tough to see the surging of the stream behind them as it was just really getting light out and though not raining hard, there was a drizzle. It had been raining very hard throughout the State for almost a week and flooding was a problem everywhere. In fact, New Hampshire had some of the worst rain and flooding in memory. The usually quiet gurggling brook behind the group had been turned into a frothing whitewater rapids with fully 2 feet rise in the water level. The sound of the water was so loud that the guys staying in the Brookside Cottage were woken up a couple of times during the night.
Newly accepted as disciples of mine in the White Cobra, 2nd Degree Black Belt Nidan Scott Williams and 2nd Degree Black Belt Nidan Rick Downs flank me by the bridge crossing the stream.
Finally! Breakfast at the Whitney Inn! It's amazing what a dawn workout will do for your appetite!
But the warmth of the inn was soon replaced by the cold biting rain that high winds drove through the crisp air. Here we are at the top of Cathedral Ledge looking out over a socked in Mount Washington Valley.
A spectacular view from the top of Cathedral Ledge - even in the fog and drizzle.
Later that morning, we stopped off at Echo Lake State Park. Though still drizzling fairly consistently, we couldn't pass up the opportunity for some forms by the lake. Here Sandan Carl Parker and I run through Rose Crane Spreading Wings At The Break of Dawn.
Another shot of Rose Crane.
Not wanting to just provide entertainment for someone else, I got everyone doing group Pinan Nidan.
Finishing up with Nidan form. But there was more...
I finally let everyone in out of the rain - which by this time had become a downpour. Here we are in the pub at the Eagle Mountian House for lunch. Nidan Rick Downs, Nidan Scott Williams, Sandan Carl Parker, myself, and Sandan James Nancarrow.
After lunch, we all wandered out onto the veranda of the Eagle Mountain House. One of the employees offered to take this picture. As you can see, we appear to be all set and the model visitors...
However, she insisted that we take a more relaxed pose - to which we all readily agreed. Now, don't we all look just grand! And this is how it should always go!
And this was our view to the left...
... and to the right. You can see that it is raining, but you really can't tell how hard it was raining. Days of rain and wind and cold. But sitting on that veranda just seemed to make it all right.
And after another long day of philosophical inquiry, we returned to the lounge at Whitney's Inn for the warmth of the fireplace.
The Whitney's Inn put out a grand spread of cheese and crackers, coffee, tea, hot apple cider and hot chocolate, and chocolate chip cookies. How could we pass that up?
And before heading back to the rooms to change for dinner here at the Whitney Inn, we had many games of rousing backgammon while talking over many of the days discussions. We continued that through dinner, and then again late into the night back in the cottage by the fireplace. Let those who do the work join us in the years to come.
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